In university, we learned Java and C++. When I started looking at web development, the number of choices was overwhelming. Django? Laravel? Spring Boot? Ruby on Rails?
Eventually, I settled on the MERN Stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js). Here is why I think it’s the best choice for new developers in 2024.
1. One Language to Rule Them All
The biggest benefit is Context Switching. In MERN, everything is JavaScript (or TypeScript).
Database query? JSON/JS objects.
Backend logic? JavaScript.
Frontend UI? JavaScript.
I didn't have to mentally switch between Python indentation rules and SQL syntax every 10 minutes. This helped me master the concepts of web dev (HTTP, REST, State) without fighting syntax errors.
2. JSON is Native
MongoDB stores data in BSON, which is basically binary JSON. In React, we consume data as JSON. In Node APIs, we send data as JSON. The data flow is seamless. I didn't need complex ORMs (Object-Relational Mappers) just to read a user profile.
3. The React Ecosystem
React is massive. If I had a problem (e.g., "How to handle form validation"), there were 50 tutorials and 3 libraries for it. As a beginner, having a huge community is a safety net.
Conclusion
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